Onboard Wine Tastings

[Scotto97]

I've done an extensive search on this board but could not find any details on the wine tastings offered while onboard. Can someone please offer some details on the various ones offered and their prices to attend? 

[oldbluff]

Pre-Covid, there were two. The second one had better wines and a higher price. I believe it was $15pp for the first and $25pp for the second.

 

We found the first session wines were just OK and the second were noticeably better. Cheese, grapes and such served with. We usually do these if we are not busy as they are pleasant events. We've made some friends chatting up those sitting nearby, discussing the wines and Life in general. Perfect segue to an afternoon nap (without the new-found acquaintances).

 

 

[SilvertoGold]

Koningsdam and Noordam as described above but pricing was $25 and $39 pp

[Sir PMP]

They are basically a lot of fun, of course they want you the buy the wine packages, but the wines they pour and the cheeses etc. appetizers make it well worth it.

[crystalspin]

We did a fun one on the Zuiderdam: Around the World in Wines (or similar title). Pouring stations were set up in Billboard Onboard and each one had one or more wines from a different continent. I think there was a handout with the names and countries...

 

Don't remember the cost, though.

[oldbluff]

3 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

Koningsdam and Noordam as described above but pricing was $25 and $39 pp

Wow. More than I remembered. Still a good way to spend an hour. 

[cat shepard]

I missed the first one on my recent Niew Amsterdam cruise. The second one was $35. Our Celler Master, Jude, was amazing. He was a showman. First he demonstrated how Napoleon opened his wine bottles.
 

 He also put together quite a variety of items to pair with the wines that enhanced their taste. 
 

And he introduced us to the Clef du Vin. An amazing device that improves the taste of lesser wines. He had us take a sip of a typical “house red” wine and then had the waiters take a Clef du Vin and insert it in each of our glasses for a couple seconds. We could not believe the difference. The almost harshness of the wine was a transformed to a smooth, mellow very enjoyable glass. 

[albingirl]

Some of the wine tastings are fun. Some, however have hosts who talk too much and too long. I liked the ones that were casual and you could have a second helping of a wine you liked 

[puppycanducruise]

A few years ago on the Eurodam, we went to a wine tasting that was "all you can drink".  I kid you not!  The sommelier said that he didn't want to see any empty glasses.  It was about $35 but worth it!

[ottahand7]

26 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Some of the wine tastings are fun. Some, however have hosts who talk too much and too long. I liked the ones that were casual and you could have a second helping of a wine you liked 

The last one I did on the NS was the higher priced one and we had a plate with foods that were to pair with the wines.  The wine really wasn't discussed and not a mention of pairing with the foods in our plate.     Too much time sabering a bottle of champagne.  I did meet some very nice people through and we had fun.  These events depend on the expertise and communication ability of the head wine person.  

[510picker]

@crystalspin and @puppycanducruise We did the "Around the World" wine tasting as well. This was an all you can drink in one hour tasting. A large setting of crackers, cheese, and meats to go along with it. We asked about this tasting on our last cruise and said it hasn't been brought back since the restart. This tasting was so much fun!

[SilvertoGold]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

I missed the first one on my recent Niew Amsterdam cruise. The second one was $35. Our Celler Master, Jude, was amazing. He was a showman. First he demonstrated how Napoleon opened his wine bottles.
 

 He also put together quite a variety of items to pair with the wines that enhanced their taste. 
 

And he introduced us to the Clef du Vin. An amazing device that improves the taste of lesser wines. He had us take a sip of a typical “house red” wine and then had the waiters take a Clef du Vin and insert it in each of our glasses for a couple seconds. We could not believe the difference. The almost harshness of the wine was a transformed to a smooth, mellow very enjoyable glass. 

Glad you had Jude, the best we've seen on HAL! He also did the Specialty wine tasting and it was mostly food pairings and very well done.

Edited November 2, 2022 by SilvertoGold

[SilvertoGold]

10 hours ago, crystalspin said:

We did a fun one on the Zuiderdam: Around the World in Wines (or similar title). Pouring stations were set up in Billboard Onboard and each one had one or more wines from a different continent. I think there was a handout with the names and countries...

 

Don't remember the cost, though.

Loved this wine tasting!  Glad to hear HAL is still doing this one.  When we have done it pre-Covid it was always the same pricing as the regular wine tasting.

[cat shepard]

10 hours ago, crystalspin said:

We did a fun one on the Zuiderdam: Around the World in Wines (or similar title). Pouring stations were set up in Billboard Onboard and each one had one or more wines from a different continent. I think there was a handout with the names and countries...

 

Don't remember the cost, though.

We had one of these on our 17 day cruise. It was very interesting. And fun. 
 

It may depend on the cellar master or the length of the cruise. 

[Navybikermom]

2 hours ago, cat shepard said:

I missed the first one on my recent Niew Amsterdam cruise. The second one was $35. Our Celler Master, Jude, was amazing. He was a showman. First he demonstrated how Napoleon opened his wine bottles.
 

 He also put together quite a variety of items to pair with the wines that enhanced their taste. 
 

And he introduced us to the Clef du Vin. An amazing device that improves the taste of lesser wines. He had us take a sip of a typical “house red” wine and then had the waiters take a Clef du Vin and insert it in each of our glasses for a couple seconds. We could not believe the difference. The almost harshness of the wine was a transformed to a smooth, mellow very enjoyable glass. 

I had never heard of the Clef du Vin, so I looked at the reviews and it seems pretty remarkable. Of course I ordered one… what better excuse to drink wine? 😝 I look forward to playing with it 🍷. 

[cat shepard]

Just now, Navybikermom said:

I had never heard of the Clef du Vin, so I looked at the reviews and it seems pretty remarkable. Of course I ordered one… what better excuse to drink wine? 😝 I look forward to playing with it 🍷. 

I bought one too. eBay had great prices.  
 

And have successfully used it at least three times. The chart that comes in its little booklet describes the effect each second of immersion delivers for both red and white wines.  Have not tried it on a white wine - yet. 
 

The little bit of its science that I have read is that the tiny copper spot embedded in the device interacts with the sulfites of the wine. 

[aa7yy]

I just did a few of them on the Rotterdam. Generally just an excuse to get rid of wines that are not selling. Picture the Round the World wine tasting as an open bar for a bunch of people that have the Signature Beverage package that already get free wine. One quality presentation by the top guy from HAL Food and Beverage. Recognized a number of the Sommeliers as waitresses from previous cruises. (Like last week and April.) Little knowledge! You get to meet some new people. Now the presentations that I go to are the 1 "free" one for each cruise for four and five stars. There might possibly be a better sales pitch to cruisers that might actually buy.

 

Now the bottom line is that it probably has a lot to do with who the Cellar Master is and his or her qualifications. Seven weeks on the Rotterdam and I have no clue if they even had a Cellar Master.

[StLouisCruisers]

19 hours ago, crystalspin said:

We did a fun one on the Zuiderdam: Around the World in Wines (or similar title). Pouring stations were set up in Billboard Onboard and each one had one or more wines from a different continent. I think there was a handout with the names and countries...

 

Don't remember the cost, though.

 

8 hours ago, 510picker said:

@crystalspin and @puppycanducruise We did the "Around the World" wine tasting as well. This was an all you can drink in one hour tasting. A large setting of crackers, cheese, and meats to go along with it. We asked about this tasting on our last cruise and said it hasn't been brought back since the restart. This tasting was so much fun!

 

8 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

Loved this wine tasting!  Glad to hear HAL is still doing this one.  When we have done it pre-Covid it was always the same pricing as the regular wine tasting.

 

8 hours ago, cat shepard said:

We had one of these on our 17 day cruise. It was very interesting. And fun. 
 

It may depend on the cellar master or the length of the cruise. 

 

We've been to one or two Around the World wine tasting and it was a lot of fun. Much more informal because you could intereact with other guests and not have to listen to someone drone on and on about the qualities of a particular wine.  

[bartexas]

We did a champagne tasting once. Super fun. Had Tattinger, Veuve, Moët and Dom. Tried it with chocolate, eggs, potato chips, and some other things. Can’t recall the price, but after the tasting, they came around to refill you with your choice until they ran out.